WiMax wireless broadband could fill in coverage holes

Adding a WiMax transmitter to the top of every BT broadband exchange would likely provide coverage in most areas where people cannot receive a 2Mb connection, it has been claimed.

According to the Guardian, WiMax masts can provide a wireless broadband signal of between 4Mb and 6Mb over a five mile range - the technology is also being included in the chipsets of a growing number of PCs.

However, the newspaper suggested that the government has not done enough to support the technology with its plans for the future of UK broadband, as outlined in the Digital Britain report.

It also questioned the support given to a rival broadband technology, Long Term Evolution (LTE), which has received the backing of incumbent mobile broadband network providers and is similar to 3G.

"But given the mobile industry's inability to deliver 3G properly, we can only assume LTE is a very long way away," the Guardian warned.

Earlier this week, PC Pro warned that it could be some time before LTE is rolled out in Britain because the 900MHz band of spectrum first needs to be redistributed by the government.

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